Rene Gonzales is an ass, and I hope someone punches him in the nose.
Apr
29
Apr
24
DaveTown 1% Club
Posted by Dave in 1% Club on 04 24th, 2004| | 1 Comment »
You know how sometimes you meet a person you’ve admired from afar, and they turn out to be disappointing?
This was categorically NOT the case with Mark Shea.
When I was reading everything I could get my hands on about the Catholic Church in the late 90’s, trying to decide if it was in fact the Church I’d been looking for my whole life, one of the most helpful and entertaining reads was Mark’s By What Authority. It was exactly what I needed to know, at exactly the right time in my life. Great book.
So I owe Mark a lot. I’ve also read and enjoyed his blog, Catholic and Enjoying It, which is just as entertaining and informative as his books. And so when I heard he was coming to Norman this weekend to give a series of talks, I decided to venture out of my cave and go hear him, and, hopefully, meet him.
Well I got to do both, even sitting at the same dinner table after his Friday evening talk. He is absolutely one of the funniest, most engaging, most genuinely likeable people I’ve ever met.
And his talks were brilliant. And so, Mark Shea joins Fr. Mitch Pacwa as only the second-ever inductee into the DaveTown 1% Club.
Oh, and let me add a plug for OU Catholics. This is the great group of kids at the University of Oklahoma who were responsible for getting Mark to make the long trek from Seattle. I enjoyed meeting them immensely.
Apr
23
Pat Tillman, R.I.P.
Posted by Dave in Culture on 04 23rd, 2004| | 1 Comment »
Pat Tillman was a man; a real man.
This guy pased up millions of dollars in the NFL for the outside chance at being accepted into the elite Army Ranger corp, where he’d be making $18,000 a year. He did it because he believed fighting for our country was more important than money.
He died in Afghanistan yesterday.
We should never use the word “hero” about any athlete ever again, unless they can at least measure up to Pat Tillman.
Apr
23
Victor L. Simpson, writing for the Associated Press about new Vatican statements concerning celebration of the Mass, makes the following statement:
“Roman Catholics believe that they symbolically receive the body and blood of Christ when they take communion.”
Odd. I thought we believed we literally receive the body and blood of Christ at communion. Even odder that I would hear about this stunning theological reversal from the Associated Press. Huh.
Actually, Mr. Simpson has written extensively about the Church for the AP; surely he knows better than this. I’m betting it was an uninformed editor who popped this little gem in there, not Mr. Simpson.
Still, that’s an amazing error for what is supposed to be a serious news organization. Hopefully they’ll make a correction, but I dare not hold my breath until then.
Apr
22
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Posted by Dave in Quote of the Day on 04 22nd, 2004| | No Comments »
He [St. Thomas Aquinas] maintained controversy with an eye on only two qualities; clarity and courtesy. And he maintained these because they were entirely practical qualities; affecting the probabilities of conversion.
– G.K. Chesterton
Apr
22
So I picked up my copy of G.K. Chesterton’s book on St. Thomas Aquinas again; I decided to do the ol’ “Page 23, Line 5″ trick on it, and found that it is the line which precedes a line that I’ve actually quoted on this blog before.
Here it is:
“The saint is a medicine because he is an antidote.”
Apr
20
Bookshelf Incongruities
Posted by Dave in Bookshelf Incongruities on 04 20th, 2004| | No Comments »
Bookshelf Incongruities
I haven’t posted about this in a while, but every once in a while I look at my bookshelves, which have no semblance of order to them whatsoever, and notice the odd neighbors I’ve created. Tonight I noticed the following:
A Farewell to Arms | Chinese Gung Fu: The Philosophical Art of Self Defense
Great Expectations | The Metamorphosis.
And, finally, my favorite:
The Lifetime Legal Guide | The Handbook of Winning Poker
Apr
17
Once again, the good folks at the Cato Institute have crystallized my thoughts precisely.
Apr
16
Book Dealy Redux
Posted by Dave in Books on 04 16th, 2004| | No Comments »
Ok, take two:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
“They would ask why we haven’t thrown out the worksheets and the textbooks, the isolated skills and rote memorization.”
Apr
15
Book Meme Dealy
Posted by Dave in Books on 04 15th, 2004| | No Comments »
The blog sensation that’s a sweepin’ the nation is to do this:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
The only problem is, the book I’m now reading (Faith and Certitude by Thomas Dubay, which I can’t recommend highly enough) only has two sentences on page 23, it being the last page of the chapter. I’ll try again later with my copy of What Does It Mean To Be Well Educated?
Apr
14
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Posted by Dave in Quote of the Day on 04 14th, 2004| | No Comments »
I love Alfie Kohn. He’s more angry about the state of education than I am. Frankly, I didn’t think that was possible.
Here’s a gem from his latest book, What Does It Mean To Be Well Educated?
“The average high school is terrific preparation for adult life – as long as that life is led in a totalitarian society.”
Buy this book!
Apr
9
Friday Five
Posted by Dave in Stuff on 04 9th, 2004| | 1 Comment »
FRIDAY FIVE (courtesy of Heather)
1. What do you do for a living?
I teach 7th grade.
2. What do you like most about your job?
When I actually get to teach.
3. What do you like least about your job?
I hardly ever get to teach. I spend most of my time acting as prison guard, babysitter, and standardized test preparation robot.
4. When you have a bad day at work its usually because _____…
I had to go to work that day.
5. What other career(s) are you interested in?
Something that would either:
A) pay me enough to justify being this miserable, or
B) be interesting enough to make it worth the low wages.
Apr
8
108143621539059164
Posted by Dave in Culture on 04 8th, 2004| | No Comments »
I’m not a big golf fan, but I’ll be watching the Masters with interest this week, hoping John Daly will do well. If you’re not familiar with his story, he came out of nowhere to win a major tournament about 10 years ago, and since then has had a very up and down existence, struggling with alcohol, gambling, bad marriages, the whole nine yards. He’s self-destructed on the course a couple times, quit in the middle of tournaments, gone to rehab and returned again, and generally been the very opposite of the stereotypical calm, cool, collected emotionless golf pro. And every once in a while, he gets it all together and plays with brilliance, flair, and style, and people love him for it.
I love him for it too. He’s a real guy, with real self-destructive tendencies that many of us can relate to. He has fought like a lion to overcome himself, to rein in his God-given talent and focus it, and most of all, to not give up in the face of really really depressing circumstances. And he smokes on the golf course, which I appreciate for its iconoclastic value.
If you can’t relate to why I like the guy so much, you’ve obviously not screwed up enough in your life. I congratulate you for that. If you scorn the fact that I like the guy so much because he’s only gotten what he deserves, then you’ve not only not screwed up enough in your life, you’re also way to proud of it and need to get over yourself. Join the ranks of the screw-ups. Chances are you’re already one of us and don’t realize it. It’s not too bad once you face up to it and embrace your screwuppedness. And there’s lots of company. Most of us will be at Augusta National this week, following John Daly around the course, if only in spirit.
If you’re interested in how he’s doing check out the scoreboard at augusta.com
Apr
5
Poetry Corner
Posted by Dave in Poetry Corner on 04 5th, 2004| | No Comments »
I was very young when I first realized I had super-powers.
I can remain invisible for extended periods of time. Junior High, for example.
I can bend time and space so as to be alone in crowded rooms.
I have unbridled ability to alienate even the most steadfast of lovers.
I’ve never been anything but impervious to good advice.
In my classroom, I can fly right over the heads of students with no effort.
I can see through the folly of non-procrastination.
I can make money disappear.
Stan Lee wanted to put my life in four-color panels, but in the end said no one would believe it. He went with “Hellboy” instead.
Apr
5
I Forgot the Title of This Post
Posted by Dave in Stuff on 04 5th, 2004| | 1 Comment »
TV Linked to Kids’ Attention Problems
I agree with the central thesis of this article, as given in the headline, but I didn’t really finish the whole article because I was reading it and all, and then
oooh, shiny!